Bella Hadid & 15 Other Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Battling Lyme Disease

Celebrities like Yolanda Hadid and Alec Baldwin have opened up about their struggles with Lyme disease, but if you’ve ever wondered what this health condition actually is, you’re not alone. According to the CDC, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans through bites from infected ticks. It is the most common vector-borne illness in the U.S., the CDC notes, affecting about 30,000 Americans each year and causing symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, or a rash at the site of the tick bite.

While Lyme infections can be treated with antibiotics, the disease can be difficult to diagnose because it shares so many symptoms with other illnesses. If left untreated for too long, the infection can spread throughout the body, resulting in chronic health issues. This form of Lyme, called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD), is believed to be the result of an autoimmune response to the initial infection. (It’s sometimes referred to as Chronic Lyme Disease, or CLD, although experts typically don’t use this term.) PTLD symptoms range in severity, from brain fog to full-body exhaustion, and while treatments are available, the illness itself is incurable.

Living with an invisible illness like PLTD can be lonely and terrifying, which is why many celebrities with Lyme disease have chosen to use their platforms to spread awareness about treatment and prevention. Keep reading to learn more about how Lyme has affected the lives of celebs like Bella Hadid, Shania Twain, and Justin Bieber, among others.

This article was originally published on sheknows.com.